


Proposal

by phoenixnz



Series: The Chronicles of Martha and Jonathan [4]
Category: Smallville
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 04:37:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5234381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixnz/pseuds/phoenixnz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The lives of Jonathan and Martha from their first date to the Smallville finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Proposal

Season Two: Redux

 _Jonathan: When your mother and I decided to get married, I went down to his office to ask him for her hand._  
_Clark: What'd he say?_  
_Jonathan: I remember his exact words. "I will not let my daughter throw her life away by marrying some hick farmer that couldn't possibly support her."_  
_Clark: That's harsh._  
_Martha: He was a corporate lawyer. That's the way he dealt with people._  
_Jonathan: When he realized that we were serious about getting married, he lost it. He tried to shove me out of his office._  
_Clark: What happened?_  
_Jonathan: I hit him. I'm not proud of that. I tried to apologize to him, but he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Your grandfather and I haven't said a word to each other since._

Season One: Jitters

_Martha: I didn't move to Smallville for action and glamour. I moved because a certain man told me we'd never be rich or travel the world, but he'd always love me. How could I pass up an offer like that?_

**Proposal**

Jonathan was so nervous as he waited in the outer office of William Clark’s law offices. Lawyers usually made him nervous. He still remembered the lawyer who had handled his father’s will and that had been a daunting task as it was.

This was different. This was Martha’s father, and his reason for coming here had nothing to do with the law.

Jonathan had been brought up to be a gentleman and to be respectful to his elders, even when they didn’t return the same courtesy. William had been cool towards Jonathan from the moment he had learned that Jonathan was a farmer’s son. As if it was somehow beneath his only daughter.

Jonathan didn’t care. He loved Martha and she loved him. Those few weeks they’d been apart had been the longest of his life and he had realised that nothing mattered except how they felt about each other. Not her parents or their opinion of him. Well, Mary was all right, except she was very much a traditionalist who bowed to her husband’s wishes. On most things at least.

Jonathan didn’t agree with that. His parents had worked together on the farm, but they hadn’t always agreed on everything. Jessica could be just as stubborn as his father when she knew she was right about something.

“Mr Kent?”

He looked up and smiled nervously at the receptionist. She showed him into William’s office.

The older man was standing at the window, looking out at the city. The law offices were on the fifth floor of a ten-storey building and surrounded by other buildings, but William obviously had the best view as he could look out clear across the river.

William glanced at him, his expression neutral.

“Uh, hello, sir,” Jonathan said politely.

“Mr Kent,” the older man said coolly.

“I came to ask you, sir …”

“I know why you’re here. And I’m not about to let my daughter throw her life away to marry some hick farmer that couldn’t possibly support her.”

“Sir … Mr Clark, I know what you think, but …”

“What I think is my daughter has a future, and it is not in Smallville.”

“I love your daughter.”

“And that makes it all right?” William asked, raising his eyebrow. “I don’t care. My daughter will be going to law school.”

Jonathan chewed his bottom lip, studying the older man. Now he understood what his mother meant when she said it was so frustrating dealing with stubbornness.

“Sir, Martha and I love each other. Besides, she doesn’t want to be a lawyer. She told me.”

“Be that as it may, she’s my daughter and what I say …”

“My God, do you even hear yourself? She’s a grown woman who can make up her own mind.”

Martha had once remarked that at least her father wasn’t one of those men who thought she should just marry a doctor or a lawyer and not have a career of her own. Jonathan got the impression that William didn’t mind her having a career, as long as it was what he wanted for her and not what she wanted.

“You know, my dad taught me to respect my elders, but with all due respect, Mr Clark, you’re wrong. You can’t dictate to Martha what she does with her life. She’s an adult, with a mind of her own, and I’m going to marry her. I love her, and she loves me. Maybe I am a farmer, but it’s a good, honest living. Something I can’t exactly say for some lawyers.”

William’s gaze was like ice as he glared at Jonathan.

“I hope you’re not insinuating what I think you are, boy!”

If there was one thing Jonathan disliked, it was being called ‘boy’. He was twenty-one years old!

The older man looked furious as Jonathan again told him he had no say in the matter. The only reason he’d come down to the office to ask for his blessing was because that was what he’d been taught. Maybe it was old—fashioned, and maybe it was just his mid-western upbringing, but it had felt right. He didn’t really need the old man’s blessing. It wasn’t like William could stop them getting married.

He was surprised when the older man shoved him, trying to push him out of the office. He saw red and lashed out, smacking the man’s jaw.

His eyes widened as he realised what he’d done.

“Oh, God. Sir, I … I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean …”

“Get out!” the man hissed. “And don’t ever come back.”

***

Martha was preparing for a dinner date with Jonathan. She had applied her make-up carefully. Jonathan always said that she didn’t need a lot of make-up as she was beautiful with or without it, but she wanted to look special for him. She had a feeling that tonight was the night he would ask her to marry him.

They’d talked about it, of course, but the formal proposal hadn’t been made yet.

Her bedroom door opened as she was checking out her reflection. She’d chosen to wear a long black sleeveless dress which suited her pale skin and red hair, which she’d softly curled.

“Martha, you look beautiful,” her mother said. “Big date tonight?”

“I really think Jonathan’s going to propose tonight.”

Her mother smiled. “I’m glad. He’s such a nice young man, and you both look so happy together.”

“Dad doesn’t think so,” Martha said with a touch of bitterness. She’d heard all about the incident in her father’s office. Jonathan had called her the day it had happened and gave his side of the story. She knew he hadn’t meant to hit her father, but while she wasn’t happy about it, she knew what her father was like.

“Sweetheart, I know I don’t always speak up, especially when it comes to your father, but in this case, he’s wrong. Jonathan is a good, honest, and hard-working young man and that should be enough for him. Besides, who says you can’t have both a career and a family if you really want?”

Martha frowned at her mother, who grinned at her.

“Your mom isn’t so old-fashioned she doesn’t keep up with things. Young women are able to have both. Just because I chose to be a stay-at-home mom over a career doesn’t mean you should follow in my footsteps.”

Martha wrapped her arms around her mother.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, honey. Now, I imagine that young man of yours will be downstairs any minute. As for your father, you let me handle him.”

She cocked an eyebrow at her mother, who laughed.

“Don’t you worry. I have my ways.”

Martha made her way downstairs, just in time as the doorbell rang. She opened the door to find her boyfriend standing there with a bouquet of red roses in his hands and looking so handsome in a dark navy suit jacket and tie, his shirt crisp and his trousers neatly pressed. He stared at her.

“Wow! Martha, you … God, you’re beautiful.”

She grinned at him and kissed his cheek as she took the flowers.

“Well, you look very handsome.” She turned to go to the kitchen. “I’ll just put these in water.”

Her mother took the flowers from her. “I’ll take care of that. You two go and enjoy yourselves. And Jonathan …”

“I know,” he grinned. “Have her back by ten.”

“That wasn’t what I was going to say,” her mother laughed. “Take as much time as you need,” she added with a wink at him.

Martha glanced from her mother to her boyfriend, wondering if there was some kind of conspiring going on between them.

Jonathan took her to a restaurant which was slightly more expensive than the normal restaurant they went to, ordering wine for them both. He looked a little nervous, but still far more at ease in this restaurant than in the French restaurant he’d taken her to once before.

She was sure dinner was delicious but she couldn’t remember eating a single bite. Jonathan kept shooting her glances and she knew something was up.

The dishes were cleared away but Jonathan still sat there. She could see him checking something in his jacket pocket. He cleared his throat, his hand still in his jacket. Then he got out of his seat and walked around to her side of the table, getting down on one knee.

“Martha, I love you. I think I loved you the moment I first saw you. I’m not articulate and I know I’m not worldly. Maybe we’ll never be rich, or travel the world, but the one thing that will never change is the way I feel about you. I will always love you.”

For a man who wasn’t articulate, that was the most beautiful speech she had ever heard.

He took a box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside, she saw what appeared to be an antique diamond ring. It looked like one his mother had worn. He took a deep breath as he looked imploringly up at her.

Martha heard the murmurs from other diners and knew they were watching.

“Martha, will you marry me?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” she said simply.

Jonathan’s face lit up in a huge smile. He took the ring from its box and slowly slid it on her finger. She kissed him. They sat there, lost in each other’s gazes, unaware of someone standing beside them until he politely cleared his throat.

The man beamed at them. “Hello, I’m Mr Davis, the manager. We would like to offer you both our congratulations and some champagne to toast your engagement. On the house, of course.”

“Sweetheart?” Jonathan said, and it was the most wonderful word she could ever hear from her husband-to-be. She loved the way he immediately asked her what she wanted.

“I think I’d like that very much,” she said.


End file.
